The excitement of being in Constantinople - a city that came alive from the textbooks I had read in junior college, a city that changed hands from the Byzantines to the Ottomans in 1453, a city that became Istanbul from Constantinople, a city so replete with history and culture, a city that straddles two continents and a city that showcases the ancient and the modern - was all too palpable that I could have sworn to have touched it, felt it, breathed it. It was to be the first full day in Istanbul and I had chalked out plans to visit attractions that could be reached mostly by foot. The proximity of many popular attractions to Hotel Kupeli and the foot friendly streets made it a walking day.
Last evening, Derya had told us that the hotel served excellent breakfast. How hearty and healthy that would be, we had no idea till we reached the cafe area for breakfast. The spread just took our breath away. I had been a bit worried for Hetal for she is a vegetarian. I need not have one bit. In fact, the dishes were more loaded in her favour! A Turkish breakfast is a joy forever, it has to be experienced to be believed. The many breads, jams, cheese, olives, leafy and other freshly cut vegetables, cookies, cereals, cake, juices and hot beverages. And what did the relatively poor non-vegetarian have? Just salami, ham, sausage and eggs! A heavy breakfast keeps hunger pangs away till tea time, which is the best window for sightseeing.
The Column of Constantine was within 500 meters of the hotel and is beside the Cemberlitas tram station and the Forum of Constantine. The honorific column was built in 328 AD for Emperor Constantine to commemorate the dedication of Constantinople. While it was at the centre of the main street of Constantinople then, it is now one of the most prominent landmarks between Sultanahmet Square and Beyazit Square. The column has been repaired and had its adornments changed since the change of hands to the Ottomans in the 15th century. The column is said to have been nearly 50 meters tall with the statue of the Emperor on top of it. At the time of our visit the column was being reinforced and repaired.
The Nurousmaniye social complex looms large in close proximity to the Column of Constantine. Many juice vendors were busy and so were carts catering to the demands of the commuting public and a few curious visitors. The shops and carts were neat, clean and hygienic. The neat and clean foot friendly streets are a joy to walk on, but those with high heels beware because the streets are stone pitched. The Nurousmaniye mosque was built in 1755 and is part of a larger religious complex that acted as a centre of culture, religion, and education for the neighbourhood. Before entering the mosque, as in other mosques too, there is a place to cleanse oneself, the process is called Wudu. Large hanging lights and enormous carpet are the features of the Nurousmaniye mosque.
Every shop window is inviting and the shopkeepers keen to show you around. The carpets are exquisite and so are decorative lights. Especially the shops with Turkish Delights drew us close. The well maintained streets with manicured hedges and benches to relax help to ease any strain of walking uphill, as Istanbul is a hilly city. Simit carts are everywhere and that seemed to be the staple as people can be seen walking around munching on a simit, which is dough dipped in water sweetened with molasses and coated in sesame seeds before baking. This helps it to stay moist and creates a flavourful, slightly shiny golden-brown exterior. Another peculiarity of the city, we noticed within the day of arriving, is the proliferation of cats. They are everywhere, in shops, monuments, streets, houses, windows, name it and they are there. Naturally, there are pet food vending machines too that people use to provide food to even strays. On the way to the Sultanahmet Square is the 15th century Firuz Aga Mosque, built by the treasurer of Sultan Beyazot.
The Hippodrome or the Sultanahmet Square is at the centre of the Old Town. During the Byzantine Empire the Hippodrome was where sporting events, horse racing and chariot racing were organised. In fact, Hippodromes were a part of most Hellenistic, Roman and Byzantine cities just as sporting stadia are in the modern world. The Hippodrome was renovated and expanded by Emperor Constantine with Constantinople becoming the nerve centre of the Byzantine Empire. It is said that the Hippodrome could then seat over a 40,000 spectators with additional exclusive viewing areas for the royalty. At the head of the present day Sultanahmet Square is the German fountain monument erected in 1898, which represented a cemented German Turkish relationship. The German Fountain has an octagonal platform reached by high stairs, a water tank and a dome resting on eight columns.
Much of the erstwhile Hippodrome and the chariot racing tracks lie more than six feet below the present surface. Emperors over a period of time brought art works from all over to adorn the centre of the Hippodrome, the Spina. Some of them have been excavated and displayed in the Hippodrome. The Serpent Column, formerly known as the sacrificial tripod of Plataea, was cast to celebrate the victory of the Greeks in the Persian Wars of the 5th century BC. Emperor Constantine ordered the monument to be moved from Delphi to be set in the middle of the Hippodrome. The top third of the column, that had a golden bowl with the heads of three intertwined serpents, has not survived the passage of time. The lower two thirds, or the base, that has survived is now known as the Serpent's Column.
Theodosius the Great brought an obelisk from Egypt in 390 AD to be erected inside the racing track. The obelisk in pink granite was originally installed in the Temple of Karnak in Luxor in 1490 BC! Theodosius had the obelisk cut into three pieces and brought to Constantinople and only the top section survives today on a marble pedestal. The obelisk that has survived over 35 centuries is in a remarkably good condition. The other obelisk in the Hippodrome is the Walled Obelisk, which was built by Emperor Constantine Porphyrogenitus in the 10th century out of hewed stones. Originally covered with bronze plaques, they were stripped during the Crusades. What survives now is the stone core of the obelisk.
One of the prominent buildings that flank the Hippodrome is the Ibrahim Pasha Palace, named after the second vizier of Suleiman the Magnificent. Built in the 16th century, it is the only quintessential Ottoman architecture of a royal edifice that remains intact to this date. In its prime, the palace hosted significant ceremonies and events, housing people of eminence, related to the royalty of the time. Since 1983 the Palace has been home to the Museum of Turkish and Islamic Arts.
The entrance to the Blue Mosque or the Sultanahmet Mosque, built between 1609 and 1617, is from the Hippodrome. The mosque derives its name from the blue tiles that cover the interior of the mosque. The blue and turquoise coloured tiles form more than 20,000 panels and the light that creeps into the mosque from the 260 windows make the colours stand out. At the main entrance to the Blue Mosque was a queue where women had to cover their heads, all have to be modestly dressed and footwear has to be taken off. Unfortunately, much of the Blue Mosque was under maintenance and restoration. The central part of the mosque was open for prayer, so was the mihrab and the women's prayer section.
The Arasta Bazaar, by the side of the Blue Mosque, has many shops selling carpets, tiles, ceramic wares, leather products, souvenirs, teas and Turkish Delight. An Arasta is usually a series of shops built beneath or near a mosque, the rent from which provides for the maintenance and repair of the mosque. The Arasta Bazaar that had fallen on poor times was restored during the tourist boom of the late 20th century. It is now one of the most visited tourist places in Istanbul. There are several open-air cafes and restaurants that play highly amplified Turkish music. As soon as we stepped into the Bazaar area we were solicited by many salesmen, who spoke decent English. One of them was Yousuf at Enes Silver, who abandoned his meal to take us through his shop. He first offered us various flavoured teas that opened our eyes. The sheer variety floored us, so did the large selection of Turkish Delights, chocolates, perfumes and souvenirs. We had plenty to drink and eat before buying quite a bit from the shop. He then took us through the bazaar and showed us many other shops selling what tourists buy, including branded leather wear, handbags and shoes.
It was indeed mind over matter that pulled us away from the Arasta Bazaar and took us to the Mosaic Museum, which houses the mosaics excavated in the early part of the 20th century. The most prolific mosaic art seems to belong to the Byzantine Empire of the 5th to 8th century AD. The courtyard of the museum is a treasure trove of excavated artefacts of the Byzantine period. I was particularly struck by antique drinking water fountains with taps in the museum. The guards told us that they use the water to make their tea. Later, we found such taps with clean drinking water maintained elsewhere in the city too.
High on the day's agenda was to visit the celebrated Basilica Cistern. It is the largest among the hundreds of cisterns that lie beneath Istanbul city. It is believed to have been constructed during the rule of the Byzantine Emperor Justinian I in the 6th century. The cistern is just 150 meters from the Hagia Sophia. The huge cistern provided a water filtration system for the important buildings in and around as well as into the Topkapi Palace during the Ottoman takeover of Constantinople and even into the modern times. Now it is kept with less water for tourism purposes. Unfortunately, at the time of our visit the Basilica Cistern was closed for restoration. So are many other places of interest. I was told that during the two years of the pandemic many places had not been attended to and they required urgent restoration and repairs so as to be available for the 2022 peak season in summer.
The Holy Hagia Sophia Grand Mosque, formerly the Church of Hagia Sophia, was built in 537 AD as the patriarchal cathedral of the grand city of Constantinople. It was the largest church in the whole of the Byzantine Empire and the Eastern Orthodox Church. The architecture of Hagia Sophia is considered to be the apogee of Byzantine architecture. Since then several churches and mosques all over the world have been modelled on the architecture of Hagia Sophia. Under the Ottoman rule, after the fall of Constantinople, the church was converted into a mosque by adding minarets and a mihrab and doing away with mosaics, icons, altar, baptistery and the bells. Kemal Ataturk established it as a museum to maintain it as a secular monument. However, under the current President, it opened as a mosque in 2020. Hagia Sophia is one of the most visited landmarks in Istanbul.
Facing the Hagia Sophia and the Sultanahmet Square is the mausoleum of Sultan Ahmed I who ascended the throne at the age of 13 and died at the age of 27. The Blue Mosque is his legacy to the world. Buried along with him in the mausoleum is his wife, sons and their sons.
The Topkapi Palace served as the residence and administrative centre of the Ottoman Sultans from the 15th to the 19th century. The elaborate grounds of the Palace holds four courtyards, the Harem and the Treasury. The most famous exhibits in the Palace Museum are the Topkapi dagger, on which a movie Topkapi was made in 1964, and the Spoonmaker's diamond. The queue to buy tickets was so humongous that it kept us away from those areas accessed by the ticket, including the Treasury and the Harem. We strolled the large gardens, admiring the Hagia Irene, the first church in Istanbul predating the Hagia Sophia. It was not converted to a mosque and is now a museum.
From the Topkapi Palace we were drawn by the turquoise blue waters of the Bosphorus to its shores. It was a fair walk along cobble stoned streets, passing the Theodosian defence walls, to the magnificent shoreline of European Istanbul. Being a bright day the views across to the Asian side was clear too. What stunned us was the clean water and the many floating jellyfish. While marvelling the shoreline, the waters and the views across the water body, we came across the Ahirkapi Pier from where Bosphorus boat rides are offered.
The compelling reason for a boat ride on the Bosphorus is to get eyefuls of many historical works dating from the Ottoman and Byzantine periods such as Galata Tower, Dolmabahce Palace, Ciragan Palace, Ortaköy Mosque, Bosphorus Bridge, Beylerbeyi Palace, Üsküdar, Maiden Tower, Topkapi Palace, Hagia Sophia, Seaside Villas, Golden Horn and more, while traversing some of the 32 km of the Straits that separate Europe and Asia and connects the Black Sea to the Aegean and Mediterranean Seas via the Sea of Marmara and the Dardanelles Straits. The Bosphorus Straits, the narrowest Straits in the world used for international navigation, has been geopolitically and economically important over the centuries and many countries had wanted to control it to hold their sway over the countries that ridge the Black Sea and the Balkans.
The Ahirkapi Pier has a history that dates back to the 16th century when the feared naval commander of the Ottoman Empire, “Red Beard” or Barba Rossa or actually Barbaros Hayreddin Pasha, was striking fear in the hearts of rival seamen. The Ahirkapi Pier was from where he replenished supplies and got his men on board. The row houses he had built for his men, having fallen into disrepair over centuries, were restored as the present day “Armada Otel” by a group of friends from the tourism industry. The boat ride from Ahirkapi Pier charged Euro 20 per head for a two hour ride with Turkish and English commentary, which we learnt later was a bit too steep compared to the ones offered from Eminonu. There were seats on the deck and inside. We chose the deck seats to get better views of the historic sights. The sights were clear as it was around 4 pm when we cast off. The commentary was alright in parts; we thought that the commentary was more for the Spanish and Turkic speaking guests on board. The major landmarks and some of the history did go beyond the ears. As the tour went on the chill winds drove us inside. I braved the chill winds some more, despite being inadequately dressed for it, and by the end of the tour I couldn't stop shivering. Only a cup of very hot coffee cupped in my hands could reduce the distress by the time the tour was over.
To get the blood flowing normally once again we took a long walk from the Ahirkapi pier, past the Armada Otel, to the Hodjapasha Cultural Centre for the whirling dervishes’ show, which would be the last event for the day as the show was to begin at 7 pm. The Hodjapsha Cultural Center is a 15th century Hamam transformed to showcase some of the country's traditions under its high domes. The Center stages both the whirling dervishes’ show as well as Turkish dances. Since the former is more publicized for international tourists we chose that. To say that it was a let-down would be an understatement. A certain understanding of the Mevlana Sufi tradition, founded by the poet-philosopher Rumi in the 13th century, is a must to appreciate the show. The Sema, as it is called, symbolises the elevation of the human soul by releasing the ego to become enlightened, and thus become united with God. The one hour show was an avoidable expense, 200 TL per head.
Before returning to the hotel we pared into a local roadside restaurant for dinner. We were famished, having been out on the streets the whole day, a long day, with very little to eat, but plenty to see. I ordered a plate of Urfa Kebab while Hetal settled for a salad. Urfa and Adana Kebabs are the two most famous kebabs in Turkey and they are known by the places they come from. While both kebabs are made with ground beef and lamb it is the difference in the spices used that differentiate them. Adana uses red pepper flakes while Urfa uses paprika and other mild spices like oregano and cumin. My vote goes to the Adana Kebab.
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